Guildford West Public School
NEWSLETTER - 2022, Term 2, Week 10
Principal News
Dear Parents and Carers,
I am writing this newsletter to you on behalf of Ms Weston who is currently on leave recovering from back surgery. She will be at home recovering for the first few weeks of Term 3 and then will return when she is well. We are all wishing her well and a speedy recovery and look forward to seeing her back in Term 3.
It has been a busy and exciting term at Guildford West Public School which you will read all about in this newsletter. Our students and staff have certainly been making the most of the recent sunny weather and have enjoyed planting seeds, caring for their class gardens and watching the progress of what they have planted.
We have also been harvesting some of our fresh fruit and vegetables and using the produce during our cooking lessons. We look forward to continuing this in Term 3 and harvesting what we have planted.
This term, students have been learning about Aboriginal history where we have recognised National Sorry Day and Reconciliation Week. This week, we are learning about NAIDOC and the importance of this year’s message “Get up! Stand up! Show up!”. I encourage you to speak to your children about what they have learnt, and to attend some of the events happening in your local area or in the city over the school holidays.
I wish all of our students, families, staff and community a safe and restful holiday break. We look forward to seeing all of our students back next term on Tuesday 19th July.
Miss Giles
Relieving Principal
Support Unit News
S Mauboy have had a fantastic term where students worked hard in the classroom. We have enjoyed engaging in STEM activities such as the virtual reality headsets. Students explored different places around the world and were able to write descriptive sentences about these places a part of our writing lessons. Students have also used OSMOs as part of our literacy activities to consolidate our letter-sound knowledge and to practise our weekly sight words.
This term S Mauboy have been busy in the garden. We have planted purple cabbage and broccoli in our class garden bed as part of the Paddock to Plate program. We are learning about how the plant will grow and what we need to do to look after our plants. We are excited and can’t wait until we harvest our cabbage and broccoli so we can use them to cook delicious meals in the kitchen.
S Mauboy have enjoyed using the new Paddock to Plate kitchen this term. Every Friday students have been engaging in cooking sessions in the kitchen by working collaboratively with their peers. So far we have made scones, pumpkin honey muffins, pizzas and shortbread biscuits.
Kindergarten News
Walker Learning
Walker Learning has been of keen interest in Kindergarten this term. Students have been eagerly learning and exploring learning at different hands-on investigation areas. Our focus has been on learning about different celebrations people participate in. We have explored the food, decorations and traditions of celebrations including birthdays, Reconciliation week and Chinese New Year. Students have had the opportunity to make fairy bread, decorate investigation areas using their creativity skills and role play participating in these celebrations.
PDHPE
Our Kindergarten students have been working on their fundamental movement skills such as balancing and coordination by participating in the Ninja Warrior course during sport time. Students have developed their confidence on this course throughout the term and are continuously developing their strength to move through the course with greater ease and speed. We are also learning to throw and catch a ball with the correct technique and are working towards using these skills in game-based situations.
Maths
Kindergarten have been busy learning about subtraction through a hands-on approach. We have learnt to takeaway through different scenarios such as a cookie monster eating from the cookie jar, frogs jumping into the pond and ducklings on a log.
Stage 1 News
Stage 1 students have experienced a busy end to Term 2. There has been time spent on learning to write informative texts, learning about what makes up an orchestra in music, learning athletics skills and fundamental movement skills in physical education and computer coding for Year 2. Here is an insight into some of Stage 1’s learning.
Informative text writing
As part of our English lessons, students have been busy learning about how to write an informative text. As part of their learning, the students have been exploring different animals. Year 1 have been looking at sea animals and big cats. Year 2 have been studying garden bugs and insects, jungle animals and sea animals. Year 2 students are busy compiling their first written project.
Creative Art lessons
As part of our Creative Arts lessons, Stage 1 students have been looking at the instruments of the orchestra and the Carnival of the Animals by the French composer Camille Saint-Saens. The students have gained confidence and skills to dance, move and draw to this wonderful music.
Physical Education/Sport
Year 1 have been developing their fundamental movement skills including overarm throwing, catching and kicking. Year 2 have been learning athletics skills including shot put, relay running and sprinting.
Coding
Year 2 have been learning computer coding every Friday. Very educational, engaging and a great deal of fun!
The teachers are looking forward to planning and delivering authentic, exciting and engaging learning experiences for the students in Term 3. We can’t wait for Term 3!
Stage 2 News
Drumming Incursion
A couple of weeks ago, our lovely Miss Karim organised an amazing incursion for us in the school hall. We were welcomed by rows of drums and two gentlemen who taught us about rhythm, beats and how to play the drums. First, they showed us how to achieve different sounds depending on where we strike the drum with our hands. It was really interesting to hear how he made different beats using nothing but his hands and the percussion instrument.
After this, we were all able to jump on a drum and have turns at creating different beats. We listened intently and mimicked the actions of both the instructors and our peers. All students followed instructions, had a go, and were incredibly on track during this session by being respectful, responsible and active learners.
2022 Premier's Spelling Bee
In Week 8, we held our annual Premiers Spelling Bee challenge. The participants that represented each Stage 2 class had already passed an in-class spelling challenge. On the day, they bravely showed us their spelling abilities in front of their peers and parents. I would like to commend each participant on their confidence and for all having a go during the Spelling Bee. A big congratulations to our 2022 Stage 2 Premiers Spelling Bee winner Sophia Basnet and our runner up Mariam Elnuaimi.
Pizza Time!
The Year 3 classes have been very lucky at the end of this term to be able to make very delicious and nutritious pizzas in our kitchen. The students were able to customise their individual pizzas with toppings such as cheese, pineapple, olives, capsicum, tomatoes, and basil. These lessons allow students to think about the source of different ingredients as well as how mathematics ties strongly in with cooking. The cooking sessions have definitely been a big hit with students and teachers alike, and Year 4 is very excited to be cooking more often in Term 3!
Stage 3 News
In Week 7, students were invited to an Arabic Drumming Incursion that took place in the Hall. Students learned about the different types of drums and how to hit them to produce different types of sounds. After explanations and demonstrations, students were given the opportunity to play the drums!
They followed different beats and rhythms from the instructor and had a lot of fun! Some students and teachers were even given the opportunity to model different sounds for Stage 3 to follow.
Paddock to Plate
All students and staff at Guildford West have been using our new kitchen and cooking up a storm this term. We have been learning about the different cooking equipment and techniques and making a range of delicious foods from pumpkin and honey muffins, to mini-pizzas, to fruit salad to parsley and cheese stuffed buns. It has all been delicious and recipes have been sent home on Seesaw! K-2 students have been learning how to make a mixture with wet and dry ingredients and how to knead and roll out dough. Stage 2 students spent the first round of cooking by making connections to their history unit about Aboriginal foods by making Johnny Cakes. Stage 3 students have been learning the safe ways to work in a kitchen. They’ve learned two cutting techniques, the bear claw and bridge. It has been amazing to see their skills develop.
Classes have also been harvesting our autumn produce, planting the winter garden and a vertical herb garden. We have enjoyed eating pumpkin, tomatoes, zucchini, parsley, oranges, mandarins and eggplant. Currently, we are watching our winter produce grow. This includes bok choy, broccoli, cauliflower, peas, nasturtium and so much more. We can’t wait until it is ready to harvest and we can use all our fresh, healthy produce.
Athletics Carnival
On Tuesday 21st June 2022, students in Years 3-6 and 8 year olds in Year 2 went to Holroyd Sportsground for GWPS’ Athletics Carnival. The weather was sunny and shining and students were excited to compete in the running heats and field events. The running events included 100m, 200m and 800m and the field events were long jump, shot put and discus. Students from each tribe cheered students on during the races and it was great to see the tribe spirit still alive and well.
Well done to all our amazing students who competed in our Athletics Carnival. It was lovely to see all the wonderful families cheering the students on.
Spelling Bee
On the 15th of June, students from Stage 2 and Stage 3 competed in Guildford West’s Annual Spelling Bee. Well done to the finalists from each class, who participated and tried their very best.
Congratulations to our Stage 2 winner, Sophia Basnet and our Stage 3 winner, Pelin Serce. Our spelling champions will be representing Guildford West at the upcoming regional final of the Premier’s Spelling Bee in the junior and senior sections of the competition. We can’t wait to see how they go, and we wish them all the best.
Merrylands High School Visit
Our visit to Merrylands High School was an exciting day for the year 5 students. They explored what it was like to be a high school student. They experienced being in a history class learning about the ancient Egyptians, how teamwork helps playing badminton, and what changing classrooms for every lesson may be like. Students enjoyed the day and can’t wait to visit again in Year 6.
Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability (NCCD)
Every year, all schools in Australia participate in the Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability (NCCD). The NCCD process requires schools to identify information already available in the school about supports provided to students with disability. These relate to legislative requirements under the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 and the Disability Standards for Education 2005, in line with the NCCD guidelines (2019).
Information provided about students to the Australian Government for the NCCD includes:
- year of schooling
- category of disability: physical, cognitive, sensory or social/emotional
- level of adjustment provided: support provided within quality differentiated teaching practice, supplementary, substantial or extensive.
This information assists schools to:
- formally recognise the supports and adjustments provided to students with disability in schools
- consider how they can strengthen the support of students with disability in schools
- develop shared practices so that they can review their learning programs in order to improve educational outcomes for students with disability.
The NCCD provides state and federal governments with the information they need to plan more broadly for the support of students with disability.
The NCCD will have no direct impact on your child and your child will not be involved in any testing process. The school will provide data to the Australian Government in such a way that no individual student will be able to be identified – the privacy and confidentiality of all students is ensured. All information is protected by privacy laws that regulate the collection, storage and disclosure of personal information. To find out more about these matters, please refer to the Australian Government’s Privacy Policy (https://www.dese.gov.au/about-us/resources/department-education-skills-and-employment-complete-privacy-policy-0).
Further information about the NCCD can be found on the NCCD Portal (https://www.nccd.edu.au).
If you have any questions about the NCCD, please contact the school and ask to speak to Miss Giles.
Guildford West Public School
Email: guildfordw-p.school@det.nsw.edu.au
Website: www.guildfordw-p.schools.nsw.edu.au
Location: 23-51 Palmer Street, Guildford West NSW, Australia
Phone: (02) 9632-9942
Facebook: guildfordwestps